I did a sheetload of cards, sort of.

Well, I did it, sort of. I created the base layout of the 12 cards using the guide provided by Alicia of Call Me Crafty Al.  This layout is the January 2020 sheetload.  I used more paper from the Jen Hadfield 12 x 12 pad that I did for my last attempt at a sheetload.

I failed a little when it came to doing the actual focal point.  I think you are supposed to do them all alike, or close to alike. I just couldn't stick a sentiment stamp in the white square and call it done.  Since I have a bunch of pre-colored and cut critters, I went through my boxes and pulled out the ones that went with the green and yellow backgrounds. Of course I had to go rooting around in the stamp sets to find appropriate sentiments for the images.

The first three images and sentiments are from Simon Says Stamp, Sugarpea Designs' Cuddly Cacti.  

These two are also Simon Says Stamp, only this time they are Picture Book dies. I messed around with the teeth a good bit to get them like I liked them.  The sentiments were in a dish I keep on my desk. I think they are SSS also.

Next up we have the die from Concord & 9th, "By your side". On the first one I used the outline that cuts with the birds, and on the second one I just used the birds. On the second one I also popped up the wings with a little foam tape. Again, the sentiment strips have been in my side bowl for a while.

These next two use bird dies from Paper Smooches.

The sentiment for this one is from The Alleyway Stamps, one of their bird sets.

This funny guy is from My Favorite Things' Monster Sized.  He's been in my critter box for years.

This dragonfly die is one I picked up in Michael's a while back and had never used.  It comes in 2 parts, one to cut and one to emboss. Both of the parts wanted to bend out of shape when I tried to get it off the packaging. I guess that's what I get for leaving in in there for so long.

Next up, the bee is from Spellbinder's The Laurel and the Bee set. The sentiment is from My Favorite Things.

So, what do you think, does this qualify as a sheetload?

Forgotten cards, found.

Seriously, I can't remember if I showed these yet, so here they are. I'm pretty sure I did these last summer and wanted to hold off posting about them until it was seasonal, so here they are. Yay.

These are using Concord & 9th dies and old paper from my stash.

Old paper pads need love, too!

This group of cards features an old 12 x 12 paper pad from Michael's that is about 4 to 5 years old.  It's one of those pads that I keep because I'm "going to use it someday", but it's never the right one, right now.

The card bases for these are larger, 6.5 x 5, and have been in my stash since about 2009.  Yup, 10 years they've been carefully stored, stashed, and moved around from one shelf to another in my craft room. Can't blame Mimi for these because I remember buying them before I found out that "everybody" does A2 cards.

So, the plaid backgrounds are from the old plaid paper pack, and the " Love Peace Joy" is a cut-apart from the same pack.  The "Happy Holidays " banner is from a die from Concord and 9th.

The poinsettias on the cards are from an old Spellbinders die, and the poinsettias on the side are new this year from Sizzix. The twigs are from Gina Marie Designs, and are a classic to me.  The Sizzix flowers will eventually get onto cards, but now they make good photo props.  

The center panel from this card is from a cut-apart from a newer paper pad called "Say Freeze" from Michael's.  The gold snowflakes are from a Spellbinder's Small Die of the month club die for November 2019.  This one is A2 sized. Yes, I really do like to mix in new with the old to give it better life.

Yes, it appears I'm still avoiding coloring. Oh well.

It's finally cool in Florida, so sweaters it is!

Yay, we got a cool front here in South Florida, and temps are down to the '50s. It won't last long, but it really gets me in the Christmas card mood! 

All of these cards were inspired by Mary Polanco and a Youtube video she did a few weeks back about not overthinking your designs. I was going to follow her idea with my own dies, but I needed this sweater die that she used. 

A couple of things I don't remember Mary mentioning are that when you ink-blend onto a finished card base you will get ink on the back of the card. Well, I did, anyway.  Also, I used these kraft card bases and they warped, a lot.

I used some white acrylic paint watered down for the white splatter, and the paint picked up some of the Distress ink and turned beige or pink. I kept it.  I also cut the warped fronts off and attached them to some cream colored card bases that also have been in my  stash a long time.

Most of this paper is from "Say Freeze", new paper packs I picked up at Michael's last week. I especially enjoyed fussy cutting some of the images for the inside.  I used some washi tape that's been in my stash for a while, also.

The outside sentiments are from Simon Says Stamp and Concord & 9th.  

Fairy kisses-Archaeology project, part 1

So, in my project of using stamps (and other supplies) that I purchased and never used, I started with this fairy from The Alley Way Stamps. She's Tootharina, the tooth fairy, but I thought she looked more like a garden fairy.

She's painted with Distress Oxides and coated with sparkle. The background is a pre-printed card from Concord and 9th. The flowers and sentiment are from The Alley Way Stamps' Twinkle Toes, which features their version of a garden fairy.

The stamps and pre-printed cards are no longer available, so that probably fits my criteria for "really old stuff."

Now I can't get that song, "Diggin Up Bones" out of my head.

Have a tweet birthday!

Today I'm back with the outline that was cut of the 2 birds I had painted last week. This die, from Concord and 9th, cuts 2 birds on a branch and their outline. Love it!

I put the bird outlines, top and bottom, on a piece of dark brown card-stock that I had stamped with the Romantic Script background stamp from MFT. I added a white zigzag border and an abstract orange print on the bottom, then die cut some sprigs of greenery (Paper Smooches Foliage 2). The sentiment is from MFT's Birds of Paradise stamp set.

Hello, birds!

I recently won a gift certificate to Concord and 9th, for participation in the Summer Coffee Lover's Blog Hop. I was SO excited, because I have had my eye on this bird die for a bit. This is "By Your Side". I also got another die and set of card bases which I haven't used yet.

You can't tell by looking at this picture, but the die not only cuts the 2 birds on the branch, but it also cuts a thin outline of paper above and below the birds. I can use the thin outlines to create another "picture", and you will see the results of that, soon!

I cut the birds from water color paper and quickly colored them with my Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers. I then tried to figure out which color to mount them to. I probably should have picked the paper and then the bird colors, but live and learn, right?

I used the Romantic Script background stamp from My Favorite Things, then cut the "Hello" from a MFT word die (Hello There). That panel was mounted on a very old piece of patterned paper, then the whole thing was attached to the front of a top folding card base. I popped their little wings up with a tiny bit of clear foam tape.

Now, back to nonstop mayhem on the news. I'm shaking my head.